pH equipment NZMS Scientific Research & development The Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland Residue testing Ngaio Diagnostics Ltd NZMS Scientific Reverse osmosis & equipment Spirax Sarco Sample collection Fort Richard Laboratories Ltd Ngaio Diagnostics Ltd NZMS Scientific 60 Annual Directory 2017 Samplers wastewater Fort Richard Laboratories Ltd Scientific equipment Bruker Pty Ltd Fort Richard Laboratories Ltd Ngaio Diagnostics Ltd Temp. and humidity measurement ifm efector pty ltd Metrology Calibration Services Limited Thermometers Metrology Calibration Services Limited Toxin test kits Bruker Pty Ltd Fort Richard Laboratories Ltd Ngaio Diagnostics Ltd NZMS Scientific Vibration monitoring ifm efector pty ltd Rockwell Automation NZ LTD Waste testing Fort Richard Laboratories Ltd Wastewater bacteria cultures Fort Richard Laboratories Ltd Ngaio Diagnostics Ltd Water quality testing Fort Richard Laboratories Ltd Ngaio Diagnostics Ltd NZMS Scientific Spirax Sarco Wine testing Bruker Pty Ltd Ngaio Diagnostics Ltd NZMS Scientific Tallships Solutions Pty Ltd X-ray equipment Food Processing Equipment (NZ) Pty Ltd Multivac New Zealand Ltd Wine Equipment Tallships Solutions Pty Ltd Wine Labelling Food Action - Food Technology Consultancy Wine software Solutions Flow Software Limited Tallships Solutions Pty Ltd SUPPPRLOIDERUSC TINS D&E XSERV ICES A New Zealand-based entrepreneurial researcher making outstanding contributions to business innovation has been awarded a prestigious Norman F.B. Barry Foundation emerging innovator title in the 2017 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards. Dr Sadakat (Saad) Hussain, a project leader in packaging and biomaterials at Scion, is growing New Zealand’s forest-based bioeconomy with packaging innovations to improve the lifetime of corrugated packaging in supply chains. Originally from Canada, Hussain has a PhD in Chemical Engineering, with a focus on the mechanics of materials, and is considered a highly motivated problem-solver with a passion for applied science. Creep deformation is an issue for every box in the supply chain, and it costs multiple industries billions of dollars. Food can be packaged in boxes for a long time – some fruit is stored for up to a year, and frozen food for up to two years – and in that time, many boxes will fail. Based on this need, Hussein has established a solid revenue stream at Scion for testing commercial packaging for international companies, helping to solve the creep problem. Scion’s WHITE (Weight, Humidity Intervals, Temperature and Experimentation) Room testing facility is the largest independent box testing facility in the world. Hussein is also working on the mechanics of foam properties – how strong they are, and how they feel – with funding from the Biopolymer Network, and is developing alternative environmentally-friendly composite plastic packaging materials and actively engaging with business to understand and meet their needs. His world-first ‘Stretched Foamed Film’ using PLA (polylactic acid), an industrially compostable plastic, is a thin film material 100 microns or less (similar thickness to a sheet of paper). The innovation is expected to revolutionise food labelling and packaging, such as yoghurt cartons and soft drink bottles, as PLA foams that are thin films are currently not available. Hussein is working on enhancing the mechanical properties of the film, as PLA is compostable and foamed to make it lightweight and much leaner. “This is exceptionally important in a market that is focused on driving down weight and thus production and transport costs,” he says. “The film is also opaque, and can be directly printed on without the need for pre-colouring, saving even more money.” The Norman F.B. Barry Foundation awards upcoming researchers fostering technology licencing, start-up creation or providing expertise to support business innovation. AWARD FOR SCION RESEARCHER
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